Genocide in Palestine continues

“The Zionist argument to justify Israel’s present occupation of Arab Palestine has no intelligent or legal basis in history … not even in their own religion.”
-Malcolm X as quoted on Sept. 17, 1964 in The Egyptian Gazette

It’s been over a week since Israel stepped up their airstrikes and ground assaults in Gaza. Death toll continues to rise, as of this writing it’s 500+ Palestinian deaths. I’m pissed and not surprised. Same shit, different day. My opinions are based in historical context and what’s occurring is genocide. It ain’t about “self-defense against terrorism” as gov officials and Bush wants you to believe. Israeli deaths = 5, Palestinians = 500+ and 2000+ wounded, who’s terrorizing who? If Israel had their way, they’d wipe Palestinians off the face of the earth as if they never existed. The oppressed have become the oppressor. Israel is untouchable and above international law, supported by the US and UK and their military is largely financed by the US. I’m talking about those in charge, not the Israeli people. And people will soon realize that Obama won’t challenge the status quo, he will continue to support Israel as he has repeatedly stated on his campaign.

How would you react if someone came to your house, kicked you out and seized all your belongings and property for themselves based on the religious claim that their forefathers lived there thousands of years ago? That’s what happened to Palestinians when Israel was created. You can’t claim to be for equality and human rights if you’re not for the liberation of Palestine.

For more on why what’s going down in Gaza and the West Bank can only be understood as genocide. As he puts it,

“the UN would not intervene in Gaza as it does in Africa; the Nobel peace laureates would not enlist to its defense as they do for causes in Southeast Asia. The numbers of people killed there are not staggering as far as other calamities are concerned”

How the media portrays this “conflict” and how there are those that would label my words as anti-semitic.

Shoe in for worst prez ever

bad pun. oh well. this is hella late but this incident is now timeless.

the original

say what you want about Bush but he embodies America pretty well to me. The dominant myth of America is that of a free and noble country but beneath it is hypocrisy, arrogance, xenophobia, and complete disregard for anything that’s not the bottom line (C.R.E.A.M.). The president rarely, if ever, represents the people.  With this in mind, Bush’s presidency is an astounding success for his donors/supporters. They know the American empire is in decline so they making as much loot as they can from oil, building contracts in Iraq, rebuilding (and white washing) New Orleans, and gentrification across trendy spots in the nation.

Hating only on Bush is like hating on the police without acknowledging the criminal justice system that upholds these oppressive and exploitive rules. In other words, you’re missing the point. And don’t get it twisted, I got love for Americans and this country just not those who are running things i.e., LA, BK, Oakland.

I recommend Chomsky’s Understanding Power as an intro to reading beneath the surface and seeing through the bullshit.

bad boy remixes (take that, take that)

happy thankstaking

“…Now listen, when you celebrate “Thanksgiving”/
What you are actually celebratin’/
is the proclamation of the Pope of Rome/
Who later, in league with Queen Isabella/
sent Cardinal Ximenos to Spain/
to murder any blacks that resisted Christianity/
These Moors, these black men and women/
were from Baghdad, Turkey/
And today, you eat the turkey, for your “Thanksgiving” day/
as the European Powers destroyed the Turkeys/
Who were the forefathers of your mothers and fathers/

“Nature of the Threat” by Ras Kass

And some words on this Holiday from Mumia Abu Jamal:

I think of those precious few who remain, and wonder, what do they think of this day; this national myth of sweet brotherhood, that masks what can only be called genocide?

The amount of myth needed to uphold America’s identity is ridiculous.

on a different note: The Roots on Yo Gabba Gabba

the song is appropriate. i got a lot to be thankful for. even though shit gets rough, there is love. and sometimes the greatest battle is within myself. i’m thankful for my fam but i gotta do things differently. i’m comforted by Alex Karras’ words:

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more ‘manhood’ to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.”

word. i’m writin poems again though i still got a long way to go to get back to form. i am not there yet. i’m exactly where i need to be. choosin love over fear, one day at a time.

LA fires 2008

man, the sky was red when i was comin home Friday night. You could smell the ash in the air the whole wknd. We always have fires in LA every year but it’s usually around rich neighborhoods and far from me and my folks. The Sylmar fires was pretty damn close. photos via LA Times.

Save Sunday’s at the Thai Temple!

in Berkeley

http://www.ktvu.com/video/17355342/index.html

and check out savethethaitemple.com for ways you can help.

This already happened in LA. Same complaints by the neighbors and they won. Now they don’t sell food at the temple on weekends. In Berkeley, it’s only ONE day of the week. And if you watch til the end of the vid, they had to compromise so much already. I can’t believe the white lady compared Thai food to McDonald’s and somehow Thai food has hypnotic abilities. This shit pisses me off, i ain’t got eloquent words for this crap. Fuckin wolves in sheep clothing. At least with Republicans/conservatives, they usually tell you what they’re thinking unlike so-called liberals. Check this bullshit

On September 27th, one of the petioners walked into the Thai Temple and proceeded to ask what the purpose of the volunteers and Buddhists were on Saturday; ‘Are you here to buy food? You can only buy food on Sunday’s’ and proceeded to take pictures inside and around the Temple. The monks and onsite volunteers, due to their lack of English skills, did not attempt to stop the petitioner. The petitioner went so far as to call the police on the Thai Temple regarding the incident.

FYI: Therevada Buddhists Monaists/Monks are not allowed to cook for themselves, relying on the community and volunteers for food. The petitioner ignorantly determined any food made on Temple grounds is for sale and not for Religious reasons. After the incident, volunteers and Monks were informed of their basic rights and the posting of ‘Private’ and “No Trespassing” signs throughout the area.

Let my people be!

44th

i’ll leave my critique for another day. this is a beautiful moment in US history.

and Jeezy should be invited to the White House.

Colin Powell comes correct

and endorses Obama!

He comments on all the negativity campaigning and how it allows stuff like this to happen out in the open. But if you know your history, this is “same shit, different day”.

“although it seems heaven sent…”

Election Commentary from Grace Lee Boggs

i wanna share a recent column by one of my sheroes, Grace Lee Boggs.  She’s a lifelong anti-racist activist/feminist and has been involved in all major social movements of the past 60 years.  She’s in her 90s and is still involve, still writing, still fighting.  I read her autobio and it changed my life in ways i’ve yet to understand.  i now strive to become a more human human being.  Peep her websites:

http://www.boggscenter.org/
http://boggsblog.org/

WHAT TIME IS IT?

By Grace Lee Boggs

Michigan Citizen, Sept. 14-20, 2008

In the wake of the Democratic and GOP conventions, both claiming the mantle of change, we need a deeper discussion of the times in which we live and the kind of changes we need to make — in our way of life and in our politics — if we are to avoid the catastrophe of the “Good Germans” after World War I.

Our times are promising because the presidential candidacy of a visionary African American has energized a new generation of youth and millions of Americans who for centuries have been left out of the American Dream.

But our times are also perilous because it will take more than vision and liberal politics to win over or at least neutralize some of the social forces energized by Sarah Palin at the GOP convention. Overwhelmingly white, suburban or small-town, these Americans are, understandably, increasingly insecure because of the failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our tanking economy in hock to China, and people of color becoming the majority in many cities.

That is why this “pit bull with lipstick” and a girlish voice was selected as McCain’s running mate by Steve Schmidt, McCain’s new head strategist. Schmidt has been trained by Karl Rove, the American Goebbels whose dirty tricks and rousing of the Christian Right orchestrated Bush’s rise to power.

Before Palin spoke, the GOP delegates were confused and uncertain. But after she ridiculed Obama’s community organizing and lauded McCain as a “war hero”, they were on their feet shouting “Fight, Fight, Fight,” and “Drill, Drill, Drill.”

I was reminded of the “good Germans,” who, humiliated by defeat in World War I and needing a wheelbarrow of marks to buy a loaf of bread, turned to a World War I vet for salvation.

There is no quick solution to this increasingly dangerous situation. But we can begin by acknowledging that the main change we Americans now need to make is in ourselves. As Martin Luther King Jr. warned in his 1967 anti- Vietnam war speech over 40 years ago, we need a radical revolution of values against the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism.

In a recent interview with Bill Moyers, self-described conservative Andrew Bacevich, a Boston University Professor and Ret. U. S. Army Colonel who lost his son in the Iraq war, reminded me of this MLK warning when he pointed out that, “Our major problems are at home, not out there somewhere.”

“We want to be able to pump gas into our cars regardless of how big they may happen to be, to drive wherever we want without having to think about whether or not the books balance at the end of the month. What neither Obama or McCain can do is persuade us to look ourselves in the mirror, So we rely increasingly on the projection of American military power around the world to try to maintain this dysfunctional system.”

Since the Vietnam War period, Bacevich warned, the U.S. has become an “empire of consumption.” “We refuse to live within our means. So we rely on our military power. We can’t expect Congress to change this situation because ‘the imperial presidency” is its creation. It has thrust all power on the executive branch and now exists primarily to assure the re-election of its members.

The Bacevich interview can be found on the August 15 Bill Moyers Journal. I urge readers to read and discuss it, not only with Obama supporters but with those leaning towards McCain. One way to begin this conversation is by providing examples of how we would be safer and happier if we lived more simply so others could simply live and also talking about the growing urban agricultural movement. To learn more about this movement, see Milwaukeerenaissance.com/

Kucinich killed it!

i’ll always give him props for being what a Democrat should be, actually different from typical Republicans which can’t be said for a lot of Dems.  dude can get hype on the mic!  though in my experience, telling people to WAKE UP is not effective.  it’s just not a good strategy to reach out to folks that aren’t like-minded.  this is probly just for Dems and voters still on the fence bout Obama.  great speech either way.